Independent videographer detained while documenting LA reproductive rights protests

Independent videographer Sean Beckner-Carmitchel was detained in a kettle alongside at least one other journalist while documenting reproductive rights protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 24, 2022.

Protests broke out across the country following the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial ruling overturning Roe v. Wade that morning, which established that the right to abortion is guaranteed under the right to privacy.

The first protests in LA began outside a federal courthouse around noon, the Los Angeles Times reported, and continued into the night. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has documented the assaults of at least six journalists in the city that night.

Shortly after 9 p.m., Beckner-Carmitchel posted on Twitter that police had detained him alongside protesters and other journalists using a technique known as kettling, in which police box in a crowd before typically conducting mass arrests.

Beckner-Carmitchel was not immediately available for comment.

Anthony Cabassa, a field correspondent for the conservative bilingual outlet El American, was also detained in the kettle that night. The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker has documented that incident here.

At around 9:40 p.m., Beckner-Carmitchel posted on Twitter that he had been released from the kettle.

The Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to a request for comment as of press time.

Find press freedom violations documented by the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker at reproductive rights demonstrations across the U.S. here.